The Asp - not a combat boat!

[Keljian]

I am perplexed.

I love the Viper and the Cobra. I've flown an asp in combat and as a trader.

I have to say, it's just not manoeuvrable enough. I don't blame the devs for this, the ship is a good heavy trader.

But for me, I need a ship that can shoot and can trade, without it weighing a heap, maybe I should go back to a cobra...

 

[Rikk]

Did you have A class thrusters?

It's a multi purpose vessel, but is very potent in combat when fitted well

 

[Sugarat]

With A class thrusters, gimballed weapons and good throttle control/use of FA off, it's awesome against NPC's.

 

[Silent_Star]

The asp isn't a combat ship

Below the description:


The Asp Explorer is the civilian version of the military model Asp Mk II's (which first saw service in 2878). Lakon Spaceways now owns the licence to construct these ships and has marketed them heavily at customers looking for their first multi-crewed ships. The ship class has earned a solid reputation for long range missions and those requiring some discretion.
- In-Game Description

 

[Nereus]

Actually it is a pretty good combat ship after some upgrades.

Turns fast (within reason), decent speed, and packs a punch.

The only problem is it is quite an easy target, being large as it is.

And insurance costs of things go south.

But I like it. : )

 

[TheoZ]

The asp isn't a combat ship

Below the description:


The Asp Explorer is the civilian version of the military model Asp Mk II's (which first saw service in 2878). Lakon Spaceways now owns the licence to construct these ships and has marketed them heavily at customers looking for their first multi-crewed ships. The ship class has earned a solid reputation for long range missions and those requiring some discretion.
- In-Game Description

I disagree,

it clearly states that it is the "civilian version of the military model Asp MK II"

Civilian or not,

a correctly outfitted Asp can easily beat the pirate bosses of assassination missions. At least when I had an Asp I did. There are also a lot of videos of fellow commanders actually dogfighting big bosses with Asp. No it's not easy to do that, but truth is out there... And yes that was before the shield changes

 

[daan2002]

its a jack of all trades but its primary role is exploring imo

 

[bassman]

I am perplexed.

I love the Viper and the Cobra. I've flown an asp in combat and as a trader.

I have to say, it's just not manoeuvrable enough.

I find it plenty manoeuvrable enough even with D thrusters, you just have to move beyond the fly-forward-steer-towards-target approach and learn to fully exploit the games flight mechanics.

 

[Calico Jack]

As an alternative to the Cobra, it's a popular choice as a heavy pirate boat. It has a bit of everything and is fat enough to carry cargo and mass-lock.

 

[Julio Montega]

The Asp is very gile for it's size, well armed and has stronger shields than the viper,
yet these shields are needed, as it is a big barn to hit.

I personally preferr smaller ships for combat,
having had better experiences in my viper against multiple enemies (players including).

It is reasonably fast for it's size, but too slow for quick exfiltration from combat zones,
even with shieldcells the shields are not strong enough for prolonged engagements, due to
being hit too easily because of the size.

You can neither outturn, nor outrun any other commonly used
combat ship, aside from a python maybe.
But the time you stay in weaponsrange due to speed is just too long.

It is a good ship, has decent alphastrike abilities, but requires those to keep
it up in combat.
Armor is a non argument for combat scenarios, since modules are not protected enough by applying armor.

 

[Silent_Star]

I disagree,

it clearly states that it is the "civilian version of the military model Asp MK II"

Civilian or not,

a correctly outfitted Asp can easily beat the pirate bosses of assassination missions. At least when I had an Asp I did. There are also a lot of videos of fellow commanders actually dogfighting big bosses with Asp. No it's not easy to do that, but truth is out there... And yes that was before the shield changes

Of course, I never said that the asp couldn't act as a combat ship, just stated the in-game description because the asp we got is not the military version and is more multipurpose

 

[Eagle Eye]

Not my first choice for combat if I can use my Viper, but it will do for combat far away from my home base where a Viper's range makes it too much of a hassle to use. It can carry cargo and have a long jump range so it's more of a multipurpose ship.

 

[The.Doover]

Rightly so.

But echoing others, it's extra hard points make it an improvement on PVE combat. It sits a bit lonely in the middle price tier, but I'm certain this will change next month.

 

[Ydiss]

I loved the asp for combat. But you need to dump a lot of credits into it if you want it to be its best. And you need to be a good pilot to keep up with the agile targets.

 

[TheoZ]

I loved the asp for combat. But you need to dump a lot of credits into it if you want it to be its best. And you need to be a good pilot to keep up with the agile targets.

as you need to dumb a lot of credits to any ship to have its full potential used!

 

[Iskariot]

In combat I feel more comfortable in a Viper, but the Asp is a great multipurpose machine.
I have very good memories of doing combat in it and it is very usable in asteroid fields too, unlike my current multipurpose ship the Clipper.
Fully outfitted for combat I still had 80 tonnes of cargo space in my Asp and I never worried about pirates. The ship is a good earner for those who like to combine combat with trading. And of course the engine sounds are great.

 

[EvilestKhan]

cobra over an asp...

you can ram the buggers and it costs em more...

 

[Dr Roly]

It's a multirole ship that can be pressed into combat if necessary. It has excellent offensive capabilities but it's a large target and making even one mistake in combat can be an expensive proposition. Also, you need to spend 35mil to make it even half-decent in combat. OTOH, the ability to jump 37ly, trade over 100t cargo and (after a refit) go into battle is not to be overlooked.

 

[jollybodger]

It's a multirole ship that can be pressed into combat if necessary. It has excellent offensive capabilities but it's a large target and making even one mistake in combat can be an expensive proposition. Also, you need to spend 35mil to make it even half-decent in combat. OTOH, the ability to jump 37ly, trade over 100t cargo and (after a refit) go into battle is not to be overlooked.

+1 I loved my asp!

 

[Rubbernuke]

The Asp is great, has the best hardpoint placement in the game, and with A rated shields / thrusters it can match pretty much anything. The trick (along with the Cobra) is to try and keep face on to minimise your combat profile as it is a bit of a tubby pancake.

For initial strikes the Asp is deadly to smaller ships as you can have six guns going at once and just shred them. Not a great metric but at navs an unshielded Sidewinder dies in seconds with a 6 multicannon layout. I can't wait for Wings and multiple targets!